TEHRAN – Zob Ahan coach Alireza Mansourian says that Al Ittihad of Saudi Arabia are very strong but they are ready to beat them.

Zob Ahan will meet Al Ittihad of Saudi Arabia in the 2019 AFC Champions League Round of 16 on Monday in Zabeel Stadium in Dubai.

The two sides are meeting for the third time in the competition.

 In the 2010 group stage, Al Ittihad surrendered a 2-0 half-time lead to settle for a 2-2 draw in Jeddah, while Zob Ahan walked away 1-0 winners at the Foolad Shahr Stadium.

“Al Ittihad are an attacking football team; however they have weak points as well. In the match against them, each Zob Ahan player should be his own coach. We are proud of Iran’s sole representative in the competition,” Mansourian said.

“In the match against Al Ittihad, all Iranian people are supporting us to win the match. We know that Al Ittihad take advantage of several good players and they have strengthened in areas where they needed to for the Round of 16. But we are fully ready for this match and will not surrender,” he added.

“We had good comebacks against Al-Nassr and Al-Zawraa this season and they are inspiring for our players. We will start the competition while we have kept our main players. I am optimistic we will play well against Al Ittihad,” Mansourian declared.